The Wallace Collection London

Dear Art Lover,

     A friend drove to London to meet up with me while I was there recently.  Since we had limited time to visit, she walked me over to The Wallace Collection.  It is free, which is so amazing, really!  After our brief walk-through we ate lunch there, even with an Italian waiter… what fun!

     Really, such elegance!  It makes me a bit sad to see such places, actually.  I feel that our generation has lost so much, with our relative impatience and fast-moving society.  We do not seem to create things to last or to engage longer than for a momentary entertainment.  I hope that I am wrong and that people still appreciate feeling actual awe.

     I think this first image of the docent would make a cool painting.  Do you?  

      These next two images fill me with frustration.  I LOVE this painting of the horses.  However, the unfortunate placement of the chandelier in the entrance hall virtually guarantees that one may not view, much less photograph, this incredible painting without glare.  I walked all around the floor, and even up the central staircase looking for a good vantage point… nothing!  One can hardly see that second grouping of animals on the right.  Peccato!

       Across from this painting is a stunning work in marble.  I am not much of a portrait fan, but if one catches my attention, it deserves it.  I mean, seriously, can you look at this and not appreciate the quality and workmanship, as well as the design?  I love seeing chains and delicate features carved into such a one-shot material. 



    













     My friend and I did not have much time to look too long at anything, but I got enough of a taste to know that I would go there again on my future visits to London.  That is one nice thing about free entrance:  One does not feel the need to study each and every work on exhibit and can have a better quality experience as time and desire dictate.

 

     I love this scene of the children's classroom visiting the museum.  I do not like to badmouth the land of my birth, but it has been hurtful and confusing as an artist who paints and sculpts nude human figures to be told that I could not show my work since it corrupts children!  And, as I have told many other artists and friends, one cannot use “The European Argument” (that is:  In Europe, families even play together in parks with nude sculptures and grow up with nude paintings in their everyday lives) because those in America who would silence the nude in art also believe that Europeans are decadent.  As with any touchy subject, my belief is that it is better to amicably discuss than to shut down the topic entirely.

     I am not above taking a donation or five if you enjoy what you read about and see in my images here on this blog. Your support and sharing really helps.  Thank you.  [You may make a donation via the PayPal links on the side bar on the blog site:  http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.com ]



Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

Sargent Paintings at The Met

The hand of Madame X by Sargent

Dear Art Lover,

     The John Singer Sargent exhibition at The Met in New York City was an absolute pleasure to see.  How lucky I was that I was able to stay in the Big Apple for several days and see this Sargent exhibition before it closed.

     You may already know that Sargent is one of the painting gods in whose artworks most artists today find inspiration and awe.  He was a famous and popular portrait artist and painter, an American born in Florence, Italy, but who made his fame elsewhere first.  I love it that we were permitted to take photos in the museum.  I never use flash and I like to get close.  I have not bothered here to share with you the complete painting of a featured work. [The one shown here included people for your idea of his scale.] JS Sargent is famous enough that you likely know the works anyway. 

     Plus, let us zoom in on the delicious details of Sargent’s work.  I captured these images to help me remember the play of cold and warm, loose vs. more finished/detailed, and edges.  Always edges make the world of difference for the emotion conveyed in a work of art.

      Thank you to those who sent me kind words about my blog and newsletter.  There was so much that I had to accomplish while in the US that my writing had to take a step back.  I thank you for making my art party with Warren Cullar a successful event in Austin, Texas, and that your interest and support make my life as an artist continue.  I am in the process of finding a home here in Italy and anxious to get settled in a new studio space.  I have a lot of creative time to make up for!  Grazie mille.

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

Foundation Salvatore Romano Florence Italy

Dear Art Lover,

     After another delicious meal at the Osteria Santo Spirito on La Notte Bianca in Florence, I was surprised to see a door open beside the Basilica di Santo Spirito.  In all the years that I lived in that neighborhood, I had not seen that door open.  [But to be fair, I am not often outside of my home studio during the day.]  So, my friend and I ventured inside.  The museum, the MVSEI CIVICI FIORENTINI to be exact, was free that night because of all of the festivities.  And the staff did say that the building was under restoration for about the time that I lived in the zona Santo Spirito.

     This is the home of The Salvatore Romano Foundation (Fondazione Salvatore Romano) and the building is called the Old Santo Spirito Refectory.  Salvatore Romano [1875-1955], an antiques dealer who started off in Napoli (Naples), donated about 70 art objects, mostly stone, for permanent exhibition here in Florence in the memory of his father.  

     Salvatore was the son of a ship owner and sea captain.  He went to Genoa to study naval engineering and discovered his interest in art objects.  He began to deal in violins after returning to Naples and later brought them to Florence, the then favored city for museum directors and foreign collectors.  In the early 1920s, he moved to Florence.

     He branched out into all sorts of antiques, but ended up favoring sculpture, particularly stone.  He traveled widely throughout Italy to acquire the objects from their places of origin and he became known for leaving them as he found them, instead of restoring them.  Many of his acquisitions are now housed in important museums in Europe and America.

     As you can see from my images of my visit, there are many medieval stone pieces in this collection and by his will, they must remain here.  He even arranged most of the pieces himself, as director of his own museum until his death.  He is also entombed in the Refectory.

     The building itself was constructed by the Friars of Saint Augustine in the latter half of the 13^th century.  The friars ate their meals here and the building was somehow spared when the church was destroyed by fire. It is believed to have fallen into disuse by the 16^th century and was rebuilt.  By the 19^th century, there was a large hole in the wall [today filled in], which explains the loss of the lower parts of the grand fresco I show you in my images.  

So, I ask you, "What is the man in the white plaster seeing?"

Fresco by Andrea di Cione (Orcagna) and his brother Nardo

  

     This refectory and the one in Santa Croce are the oldest Florentine refectories decorated with a Crucifiction scene, as well as a scene of The Last Supper.  The Santo Spirito fresco was created by Andrea di Cione, aka Orcagna, with his brother Nardo.  The dates are likely between 1360 and 1366.  A coat of arms included in the fresco tell us that the family of Cambi di Napoleone commissioned the work.

    The Santo Spirito complex became a part of the Italian State in 1866 and the refectory was given to the city of Florence.  In 1894, the sculptor Raffaello Romanelli leased the space to house his plaster models and used it as a workshop.  After he died, the idea of a museum was born.  The fresco was restored by Amedeo Benini and his sons.  Restoration of the refectory started in 1936 and ended sometime between 1941 and 1944.  It surprised me to read that since Florence was bombed a lot by the Germans during WWII.   

     Romanelli Studios still exist on nearby Borgo San Frediano.  The artist’s plaster models were removed from the Refectory to make space for the collection of Salvatore Romano.  Enjoy!

     Happy Birthay, John B! 

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

Princess Ljubica Residence Belgrade Serbia

Dear Art lover,

     The residence of Princess Ljubica in Belgrade, Serbia, was built around 1830.  It is of relatively simple design, but very distinct from surrounding buildings.  Perhaps the yard and gate also differentiate this space.  I saw it only at night and from the outside a couple of years ago [August 2012].  I must say that I love the night view of the architecture. Here ya go:  http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2012/08/belgrade-serbia-art-architecture.html

   It is a lovely place and the main point seems to be to remind locals and visitors that the Turks had a lot of influence in Serbia’s past.  My local friends told me that Princess Ljubica used to open her home to citizens on Sunday for free [as in open] conversations or perhaps for her to know the concerns of the people.  Apparently, each Sunday afternoon, an actor plays the part of the princess and visitors may imagine what the conversations of old felt like.

      I really hate how people butcher trees.  Tell me all the reason you like about why this must be done, but in the end… it is unnatural and ugly.  However, despite this, these tree branches corkscrew a bit and I found that a fun contrast from all the straight line architecture.

      

     There were paintings in most rooms, often several actually.  My first response to most of them was, sadly, “eewww.”  I later had these two grow on me a bit.  It must have been the birds, hahaha.  The artist is Arsenije Petrović    A Girl with a Flower Basket (oil on canvas, 1845-50) and A Boy with a Pigeon (oil on canvas, 1852).

     

 

     

     
     This last portrait is included here because the conversation my friends and I had in front of it was interesting to me.  Basically they were telling me how the cultures mixed.  So, you may see that the dress has under layers that appear more “folk-y” with bright blues, whites, and orange colors.  There is a garland of fruit that has a feel of country life.  The next layer is more refined with a sort of solid peach color decorated with white lace patterns.  Then you top that off with a dark colored Turkish jacket.  

     This is an oil painting of Smilja Vukalinirić in 1831 by Uroš Knežević.  Oh, and this conversation with my mates happened because I made some smart-alec remark about how all of the women in these portraits look quite masculine.  I wondered if they did in real life or if the artists did not know how to paint the feminine face.  Smilja, here, is one of the more girly girls.

There was an entrance fee, but my friends insisted on paying and I have forgotten the amount.  The residence offers free postcards, so we all helped ourselves to several.  Since even mailing postcards from Italy is expensive, I gave mine to Biljana.  She was collecting them to use in her classrooms.

For more information:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Ljubica%27s_Residence

Kickstarter UPDATE:

• $3,390 pledged
• 29% funded
• 20 backers
• 8 days to go[ends midnight between April 1 - 2]

"The Unwritten Future" is one of the bronzes available in this Kickstarter art project, so we still have a long way to go before the deadline of 1 April (midnight between 1 and 2 April, Texas time).  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/borsheimarts/casting-call-im-melting-melting-into-bronze/

Casting Call: I’m Melting . . . Melting! Into Bronze

Destroy to Create: Melted wax sacrificed to pour bronze sculpture. Hot art: Make it happen before these wax figures are truly lost.

Thank you so much for helping me make some bronze art a reality,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com